Handle and housing assemblies having a handle that can be grasped and turned about an axis to operate an auxiliary mechanism such as an associated latch (or a set of associated latches) are known and used widely to latch and lock such closures as the tailgates and tonneau covers of pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles and the like.
To minimize the possibility of clothing or belongings of passers being inadvertently hooked or caught on handle and housing assemblies used in motor vehicle applications, and taking into account other concerns of appearance and safety, handle and housing assemblies having rounded exterior surfaces and low profiles have been proposed. Some proposals have included pivotal covers to shield and conceal lock cylinder keyways.
A problem common to many of these proposals is that their relatively movable handle, housing and cover components have proved difficult to grasp and operate, especially for persons wearing gloves or for persons afflicted with infirmities such as arthritis. Designing a handle, housing and cover assembly that incorporates attractive, easy to grasp and operate handle and cover components which cooperate with a housing to provide suitably rounded exterior surfaces and a desirably low profile has presented more of a challenge than one might expect.